A Checkered Game
by So Guhn
Summary: Children love to play any sort of game. Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia are no exception.


_A Checkered Game_** - PG - gen/humour - Lelouch/Nunnally/Euphemia**

It was not often that Euphemia and Nunnally got along together on their own for more than say, twenty minutes (always finding something to bicker and compare to each other, even if it was just in girlish playful sport, Lelouch hated when he had to be in the middle of it) so when the two approached him, sly smiles on their faces one day, when he had been flipping through a magazine (on chess; his mother had so thoughtfully subscribed) and mentioned finding good opponents to play against was hard... they sprang this idea to him.

Having beaten his older brother Clovis time and time again, as well as Cornelia just once (because she would not play him again for it was but just a game on a board and not real, like the real kind of battle to be fought with swords and other weaponry, Euphy's older sister reminds Lelouch more of a knight than a princess) but never Schneizel (who remained the only one he could not beat-) Lelouch sincerely did not think that playing chess against Euphemia would be such a feat. And it was only because, Nunnally smiling that it even caught the corners of her eyes at him, had said-"We'll make it interesting! You'll be challenged, onii-sama because we'll play chess at different rules."

Euphemia had nodded, also smiling, all of them seated round a small table where any other normal children their age would be colouring with crayons or paints or eating crackers or building blocks but of course royal children had to have much more class. Her hands folded bought her lap as Lelouch got the chess pieces and arranged them on the board.

"Very well," Lelouch said, folding his legs now that he no longer had to reach on his knees to set up Euphy's white pieces- "What are your rules?"

They both giggled and looked to each other, their confidence little to not flattering. Nunnally composed herself as much as she could, cheeks fading pink while Euphy's remained bright with the colour as she muffled her smile behind her two hands. His sister cleared her throat, and almost in grown-up fashion told him "It's fine if you don't know, just go about playing chess like you normally do, and when you do something wrong I'll correct you."

He had looked at them brow quirked, sensing something amiss, they had hastily convinced him "We thought it out a very long time last night!"

Euphy nodded, having said "Yes! It's very complicated! Too much time to explain you know." and "You'll have fun don't worry!"

A challenge at chess, no matter how ridiculous it became- Lelouch thought he could not back down.

That's how he got into this situation, with Nunnally telling him "Oh the Knight isn't allowed to capture a bishop!" and "No. Pawns can't capture like that!" and "Of course the bishop can move sideways!" and all these other baffling things that he sincerely doubt had been thought out and looked really to be a sloppy chance to have Euphy win. Her King always remained in place, Lelouch's Queen fighting her way through to become closer to him, that King. This goes on for some ten minutes, before Lelouch says, his Queen with just a square of space between her and Euphy's King; having moved her sideways from black to white- "Check."

Nunnally bit her lip, "The King is allowed to move two spaces in this version."

Lelouch blinked at her as Euphy took his Queen.

"Also," and Lelouch knew this had been the only intended catch to begin with, a feat impossible had they not played by these made up, heinous rules. Euphemia finished Nunnally's sentence, "You don't capture the King to win, you capture the Queen."

_Girls._

They looked at him in anticipation, this time it was Lelouch who cleared his throat unsure if he was supposed to try to look dignified and graceful at having lost or not caring at all since, what kind of game was that? He settled on 'dignified' and looked to Euphemia whose hands were fisted in her skirt, waiting.

"It can't be helped. You've beaten me Euphemia."

Her arms threw up into the air, laughter bubbled from her mouth, "Yay! I won!"

Till she was almost breathless, she looked at him sheepishly to find him still seated opposite to her, his attention on Nunnally as he asked her if she wanted to play a game too because after having played the game once he now knew the rules to play it their way.

Nunnally had politely refused.

(And Lelouch doesn't know that one day Euphemia will place his King in check and he will place her Queen in his and they will both be playing at their own rules, and she will remain truly the only one to have ever beaten him.)


End file.
